Ustica Memorial Museum

Are you planning a trip to our magnificent peninsula? Well, if you’re wondering what to visit in Italy this is the article you were looking for. In particular if you’re wondering what you can do in Bologna. In fact, here I will present the Ustica Memorial Museum which is located in Bologna. This is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the plane crash of 27th June 1980 in which eighty-one people died.

History

This event is still unclear and is one of the events that has characterized the recent history of our country.

On June 27th 1980, the Italia 870 scheduled flight to Palermo leaves from Bologna. Its arrival is scheduled for 9.15p.m. but at around 9:00p.m. all trace of the plane is lost. The following morning, all the national newspapers report the news of the tragedy. The causes of the event remain a mystery.

There is more: only on March 16th 1989, the first partial panel handed its report to the trial judge. Here it is stated that the cause of the accident was a missile explosion near the plane. However, it was not possible to determine the type, the origin and the identity according to experts.

In 1992 the issue was taken over by the Parliament with the Disaster Commission incriminating the commanders of the military air force at the time of the facts who are charged with high treason.

In August 1999 the longest preliminary investigation of the history of our country ended. The judge Rosario Prior declared that the cause of the accident was to be attributed to a military interception action. In 2000 the trial against the leaders of the air force began. They were then acquitted in 2004 by prescription. So after twenty-six years the disaster found no guilty party. In 2008 the judiciary reopened the investigation.

Museum

Just think: if you are looking for something to visit in Italy and in particular something to do in Bologna you can not miss a visit to the Ustica Memorial Museum. This was started by will of the association of relatives of the victims of the disaster and was inaugurated on June 27th 2007. It is located inside the former ATC Warehouses in Via di Saliceto. Here are the remains of the DC9 demolished in the skies of Ustica in the summer of 1980. Surrounding it the French artist Christian Boltanski has created an installation to commemorate the victims.

The installation consists of 81 black mirrors around the aircraft in which the images of visitors walking along the gallery are reflected. There are also 9 large black boxes in which the personal belongings of the victims were collected.

The museum is inside the Bologna Museums Institution circuit and can be visited on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.

How to get there and where to stay

To get to Bologna three different means of transport can be used. These are:

car

train

plane

By car it is easy to reach from the main Italian cities via the A1 Milan-Naples motorway. The train station is on the Milan-Naples high-speed line. The city airport is Guglielmo Marconi.

Wait there is more: for your stay I suggest to book at the Cosmopolitan hotel in the city center. The average price of the stay is 100 €. Alternatively you can stay at the B & B Angelica always in the city. The cost of a room is typically € 70.

As you can see the museum to the Memory of Ustica is something to absolutely not miss in Italy. You just have to prepare your trip now that you know what to do in Bologna.